Reviews by boelker62:

Poured a frothy, rocky but small white head into a wine glass. The wine glass let it leave virtually no lacing from the light amber hue on the way down.

Smell was better than what I remembered this brew to be. The initial maltiness was there, present in the nose and palate. The floral hoppiness was not overpowering, albeit a bit dry for the style. Definately not an IPA, but lacking the smoothness of a pale ale. Still, I enjoyed it.

I liken this beer to be a Pilsner/Pale Ale Hybrid. Call me crazy, call that unlikely, but that's what I got from it. I would not seek it out, but would never turn one away.

More User Reviews:

The name has a lot to live up to, that's at least what our inner hophead is saying to us. Brewed with five different hops and dry hopped as well. The off-white head slowly subsides to a beautiful crowning of sticky lace on the glass. Reddish copper color is bright and clear, no noticeable haze from the extra amount of hops. Smells of fresh tobacco, wildflowers, dried mint and faint grapefruit, which all come from the hops. Maltiness and a faint fruity alcohol rest in the back. Silky smooth with a creamy medium body. Solid footing of maltiness lays down a complex mix of caramel and bready/biscuity overtones. Hop bitterness is a bit more tame than anticipated, but it's there with a mellow balancing effect. Thankfully the hop flavor kicks into overdrive with a strong arm of herbal, light citric, light peppercorn spice and a big tea-like smack. Suggestion of pear and Red Delicious apple from the yeast, and the maltiness turns more biscuity in the bitter semisweet finish.

While some may expect some sort of bitter hop bomb, which it's not, Hop Hazard not only gets away with being balanced, but it still comes through with a wide hoppy character.

Appearance: The body is an orange-brown color with a thin (1/4") beige head.

Smell: Hoppy, fruity (somewhat like an orange), and very distinct malt presence.

Taste: The taste is immediately bitter and very dry. Not too bitter and it compliments the rich malt with a very good overall flavor.

Mouthfeel: From the smell I expected something a little thicker and heavier, but it was rather thin. Not a disappointment at all, though. Not much going on in terms of carbonation.

Drinkability: It was nice hoppy beer and I'm going to have another.

Notes: I poured from a 12-oz bottle. The label design has a rustic/classic look to it. There is no brewed-on date.

I was fortunate enough to be able to pay a visit to the River Horse Brewery and I would recommend it. They serve four 5-oz samples of their freshest beer (probably unpasteurized, too) for $1. The beer on-site easily earns an extra 0.5 each in smell and taste making it well worth a trip if you are in the Trenton, NJ area.

A- A hazy mid-copper with gold highlights and a one finger off white head that fades slowly leaving a trace of lace. Looks like a standard APA but a little hazy and a bit redder.

S- A lot going on here, bread, pineapple, wood, toffee and a little leather and alcohol. Not super strong but complex and appealing.

T- Up front the sweet, toffee and bready malt characteristics come through with a big floral, leafy and grassy middle that has a little bit of bitterness trailing off to a nice end of balanced malt and bitterness. Pretty good.

M- This one is an easy drinker with medium body and a mild carbonation that allows it to fill the mouth then go down smooth.

D- This isn't anything exceptionally fancy but it does everything it sets out to do. The flavor is complex in that it has many components but it isn't overly strong or lasting. I also wish the bitterness was just a tiny touch lower for this style. Pretty good beer I'd happily have again.

12 oz bottle purchased as a single at the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, Va, a week or so ago.
Pours a chill hazed medium copper amber body with a small, but lasting, offwhite head. Lots of island chain patch lacing on the glass as the contents are sipped.
Aroma begins malty, with an assertive breadiness that has caramel notes. Some fruity orange and grapefruit hoppiness quickly jumps into the nose.
Mouthfeel is creamy for an APA, no hops bite, and restrained carbonation.
Taste begins bready with a caramel/toffee malt accent. Hops presence begins with a soft note of orange fruitiness, but quickly becomes more aggressively bitter. Pine and grapefruit rind bitterness occupy the middle and finish. This one is a "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" experience, as the malt dominance transforms into some serious hops bitterness.
Pretty good drinkability, and somewhat challenging in a good way. Some interesting complexities seem to be running amok here, but in a very pleasant and enjoyable manner.

12 ounce bottle, w/o freshness indication. pours slightly hazy or chill hazed, brownish amber, with an off white tiny bubble head/film and leaving blotchy lacing. Nose citrusy and also some malt picked up. this is a better then average P.A. well balanced between some grapefruit studded hops and some nice maple infused matls. Nicely crafted and a worthy sessioner.

Picked up a single at Lukes Liquors in Rockland, MA...no freshness date...could be trouble coming from Lukes. I'm willing to gamble.
Pours a dark copper color w/ less than a half finger of off-white head...very little lace with no cling.
Smell is mostly malt w/ a distinct bread scent.
Taste is ok...a bit of bitter hops mixed in to the flavor, it could be a nice "gateway" beer for pale ale drinkers wanting to get into IPA's.
The mouthfeel is the best part of the beer, as it is medium bodied and sturdy for its style.
The finish is very clean and quite bitter.
Could be a session brew, but for me, I'd enjoy a pint or two and then move onto something a bit more aggressive.

I got this sampler from Shelbourne Beer Dist. near Reading. I drank this in a pilsner glass.

Pours a slightly hazy copper with a one finger head of off-white foam. The head eventually drops to islands and a ring, but there is decent lacing on the glass. A medium level of carbonation is observed.

Aroma is grassy/spicy hops, with a fruity toasted caramel candy malt base. Smells very clean. As it warms, the caramel character becomes more pronounced.

The first flavor is toasty caramel malt, followed quickly by a decent level of hop bittering. The hop flavor is spicy, like black pepper. This is very well balanced. The aftertaste is toasty malt, slightly thin.

As APA's go, this one is pretty good. Well balanced, on style, not overdone in any way. You can't compare it to Alpha King, but it's a good representation of the style. Recommended.

poured into a nonic glass from a 12oz browm long necked bottle with a crimped on cap.

Hazy,cloudy reddish/orange color.1/2" white head from a hard center pour dissapated quickly to a slight coating of foam. looked flat.

Strong sweet carmelly aromas with some grassiness,not much of a hop aroma.

Bittersweet carmelly,nutty notes of sourness. Grassy,not a bad balance, just not impressed with the taste, doesn't have any hop bite to it ,a flat taste. Has a bit of tangyness also.

A medium body,syrupy with some cloyingness. The sweetness made this beer hard to drink. Would not want to drink another. The beer reminded me of tasting your homebrew berfore it is ready. A really flat taste all around.

A: Pours a dark amber with good visibility. Tons of carbonation and bubbles, 2 fingers of rocky head. A bit of patchy lacing.

S: First thing I noticed was it's extremely yeasty. A pleasant grapefruit hop character can be found under it but it's nearly dominated.

T/M: Dominated again by yeast. It's to the point that it tastes more like a weizen with all the banana and clove etc. A creamy malt backbone comes in but is muted by the yeast. At the very end I get a nice sweet citrus hop flavor but only for a second. Carbonation is ridiculously high.